Recently we discovered Tacombi, a taco concept that began five years ago on the beaches of Mexico. There, the chef turned a converted Volkswagen microbus into a taco truck. Last year Tacombi moved shop to the Nolita neighborhood of New York City, serving tacos and Mexican beers from the different culinary regions of Mexico. Check out Tacombi.com.

We asked chef Luis Aguilar about new directions to take a basic chicken taco. His concepts are below. But the overall tip is: Whatever “flavor” of taco you’re working on, look through the ingredients at hand and get inspired to make something you’ve never made before.

Grilled chicken marinated with cumin, black pepper, garlic and lime juice, served over a tortilla with grilled nopal (cactus—you can find it in Latino markets and in strips (nopalitos) in jars online) and queso de cabra (goat cheese).